Mean looking cloud!

Check out this mean looking cloud caught by a cell phone camera on May 12th in the Buchanan area. Note carefully the white area between the tree and the red sign. What do you see?

It's not a tornado. But the winds associated with this storm were strong and some areas received a lot of hail.

You are looking at a rain shaft. A strong downburst of rain and wind which can be damaging. The folks that took this picture were in a greenhouse. They felt this was an unsafe location so they jumped in their car. Unfortunately that was not a great choice. If it had been a tornado, the car might have been a deathtrap. As it turned out, everyone is safe. We are heading for the time of year when storms can be very strong in our region. Keep an eye on the sky and be safe.

School Field Trip

May is a really busy month for us in the SkyTracker 7 Weather Department. So when Effinger Elementary asked if we could pay them a visit and talk weather, we had to decline. But when we suggested they come visit us, the field trip was on! The second and third grade class made the trip. We enjoyed their enthusiasm and I think they had a great time on the tour.

Brent Watts and I played tag-team weather demonstration. Wonder why I had to do all the heavy pumping on the cloud experiment?

Off to the Chili Cook-Off on Saturday where the warmest things will be the peppers in the Chili. Expected high temperature: 59.

Have a good weekend!!